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House (TV series)

 
House (TV Series)

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House (TV series)



 
 
House, also known as House, M.D., is an American medical drama
Medical drama

A medical drama is a television drama in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. While not as popular as :category:legal television series/List of police television dramas, it is still easily identifiable occupational based drama....
 that debuted on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
 network on November 16, 2004. The show was created by David Shore
David Shore

David Shore is a Canada-born writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law and NYPD Blue....
 and executive produced
Executive producer

The title of executive producer , or executive in charge of production, typically describes a film producer, television producer, radio producer, record producer, or similar Stakeholder who doesn't participate in the technical operations of the production process, but who is still responsible for the success of a project....
 by Shore and film director Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer is an United States film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially popular among fans of the sci-fi and comic book genres, for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns....
. The show revolves around Dr. Gregory House
Gregory House

Gregory House, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character and protagonist of the United States medical drama House . Portrayed by Hugh Laurie, the character is a wiktionary:maverick medical genius who heads a team of diagnosis at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital....
 (British actor Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie

James Hugh Calum Laurie, Order of the British Empire is an English actor, comedian, writer and musician. He first reached fame as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner, Stephen Fry, and then as a cast member of Blackadder....
), a cynical medical genius
Genius

A genius is an individual who successfully applies a previously unknown technique in the production of a work of art, science or calculation, or who masters and personalizes a known technique....
, who heads a team of diagnosticians
Medical diagnosis

In medicine, diagnosis is the process of identifying a medical condition or disease by its sign , symptoms, and from the results of various diagnostic procedures....
 at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH).

The show's premise was created by Shore, who got the idea for the curmudgeon
Curmudgeon

A curmudgeon is a miser or an ill-tempered person full of stubborn ideas or opinions....
ly title character from a visit to a teaching hospital.






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Quotations


:Dr. Chase: You can fake fatigue and joint pain but you can't fake bacterial vaginosis in your mouth.

:Dr. Cuddy: House tries to follow her into her bedroom Call the Make a Wish Foundation.

:Dr. Foreman: People who avoid commitment are people who know what a big thing it is.

:Dr. Foreman: We just told you you're not going to die! You should be making out with Cameron!

:Dr. House: Cuddy hugs House and House grabs her ass One small feel for man, one giant ass for mankind.

:Dr. House: to a patient I'm sure I could say this without sounding condescending, but then you'd get the false impression that I respect you.






Encyclopedia


House, also known as House, M.D., is an American medical drama
Medical drama

A medical drama is a television drama in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. While not as popular as :category:legal television series/List of police television dramas, it is still easily identifiable occupational based drama....
 that debuted on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
 network on November 16, 2004. The show was created by David Shore
David Shore

David Shore is a Canada-born writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law and NYPD Blue....
 and executive produced
Executive producer

The title of executive producer , or executive in charge of production, typically describes a film producer, television producer, radio producer, record producer, or similar Stakeholder who doesn't participate in the technical operations of the production process, but who is still responsible for the success of a project....
 by Shore and film director Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer is an United States film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially popular among fans of the sci-fi and comic book genres, for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns....
. The show revolves around Dr. Gregory House
Gregory House

Gregory House, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character and protagonist of the United States medical drama House . Portrayed by Hugh Laurie, the character is a wiktionary:maverick medical genius who heads a team of diagnosis at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital....
 (British actor Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie

James Hugh Calum Laurie, Order of the British Empire is an English actor, comedian, writer and musician. He first reached fame as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner, Stephen Fry, and then as a cast member of Blackadder....
), a cynical medical genius
Genius

A genius is an individual who successfully applies a previously unknown technique in the production of a work of art, science or calculation, or who masters and personalizes a known technique....
, who heads a team of diagnosticians
Medical diagnosis

In medicine, diagnosis is the process of identifying a medical condition or disease by its sign , symptoms, and from the results of various diagnostic procedures....
 at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH).

The show's premise was created by Shore, who got the idea for the curmudgeon
Curmudgeon

A curmudgeon is a miser or an ill-tempered person full of stubborn ideas or opinions....
ly title character from a visit to a teaching hospital. Initially, producer Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer is an United States film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially popular among fans of the sci-fi and comic book genres, for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns....
 wanted an American to play House, but British actor Hugh Laurie's audition convinced him that a foreign actor could play the role. Shore wrote House as a character with parallels to Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scotland-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....
; both are drug users, aloof, and largely friendless. The show's producers wanted House disabled in some way, and gave the character a damaged leg arising from an improper diagnosis.

Dr. House often clashes with his boss, hospital administrator and Dean
Dean (education)

In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific Academia unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both....
 of Medicine, Dr. Lisa Cuddy
Lisa Cuddy

Lisa Cuddy, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy is the Dean of Medicine and hospital director of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey....
 (Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein

Lisa Edelstein is an American acting and writer. She currently stars as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the critically acclaimed drama House ....
), because his theories about a patient's illness tend to be based on subtle or controversial insights. House's only true friend is Dr. James Wilson
James Wilson (House)

Dr. Wilson redirects here. For the president, see Woodrow WilsonJames Evan Wilson, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House ....
 (Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard

Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor known for his role as James Wilson on the TV series House ....
), head of the Department of Oncology
Oncology

Oncology is the branch of medicine that studies tumors . A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. The term originates from the Greek onkos , meaning bulk, mass, or tumor and the suffix -logy, meaning "study of"....
. House's original diagnostic team consisted of Dr. Robert Chase
Robert Chase

Dr. Robert Chase is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Jesse Spencer. His character was a part of the team of diagnosticians who worked under Gregory House until the end of third season when House fires him....
 (Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer

Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australia actor, most known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the critically acclaimed medical drama House ....
), Dr. Allison Cameron
Allison Cameron (House)

Allison Cameron, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House , portrayed by American actress Jennifer Morrison....
 (Jennifer Morrison
Jennifer Morrison

Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress, model and film producer, best known for her role as Allison Cameron on the medical drama House ....
), and Dr. Eric Foreman
Eric Foreman

Eric Foreman, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Omar Epps....
 (Omar Epps
Omar Epps

Omar Hashim Epps is an American actor and musician. He is famous for his movies Higher Learning, Love and Basketball, In Too Deep , and The Wood, and as his small role in Scream 2....
). In the fourth season, this team is disbanded and House gradually whittles down a field of forty applicants to a new team consisting of Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley
Thirteen (House)

Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . She is portrayed by Olivia Wilde....
 (Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde is an United States actor. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including her roles on the series The O.C., The Black Donnellys, and House ....
), Dr. Chris Taub
Chris Taub

Dr. Chris Taub is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Peter Jacobson. He becomes a member of Gregory House's new diagnostic team in the Season 4 episode titled "Games "....
 (Peter Jacobson
Peter Jacobson

Peter D. Jacobson is an United States film and television actor.Jacobson was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Chicago news anchor Walter Jacobson....
), and Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn
Kal Penn

Kalpen Suresh Modi , known by his stage name Kal Penn, is an United States actor and film producer.He has had starring roles in the films National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, The Namesake , Epic Movie, and Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay....
). The original doctors still recur throughout the series, with Foreman featured most prominently out of the three.

House has received much critical acclaim and gained high ratings
Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement developed by the AC Nielsen Company, to determine the audience size and composition of broadcast programming....
 ever since its premiere. During the 2007–08 United States television season, the series was the most-watched scripted program on TV and the third-most-watched program overall, behind
American Idol
American Idol

American Idol is an Television in the United States Singing airing on Fox network. It debuted on June 11, 2002, and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television....
and Dancing with the Stars. The show has also received various awards and nominations, including a Peabody Award
Peabody Award

The George Foster Peabody Awards, better known as simply the Peabody Awards, are annual, international awards for excellence in radio and television broadcasting....
, two Golden Globe Awards and three Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2008, Shore announced that a spin-off, centering around a character introduced in
Houses fifth season will be created. As of 2009, House is in its fifth season.

Production


Development

In 2004 creator David Shore
David Shore

David Shore is a Canada-born writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law and NYPD Blue....
 and executive producers Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs

Katie Jacobs is an American television producer and television director. Together with her husband, Paul Attanasio the couple run Heel and Toe Films production company which produces the current Fox Broadcasting Company series, House and formerly Century City ....
 and Paul Attanasio
Paul Attanasio

Paul Attanasio is an United States screenwriter and Television producer of film and television, who is currently an executive producer on the television series House ....
 pitched
House to Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
 ("FOX") as a medical detective show; a hospital whodunit
Whodunit

A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective fiction in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final pages of the book....
 where the doctors would be the sleuths looking for the source of symptoms. FOX bought the show, however, then president Gail Berman
Gail Berman

Gail Berman is the former president of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting Company and the former president of Viacom's Paramount Pictures.She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1978....
 stated that she did not "want to see white coats down the hallway". Once the pilot was sold, the idea of Dr. House was added. Shore traced the concept for
House to his background as an inexperienced young doctor at a teaching hospital. Shore recalled that "I knew, as soon as I left the room, they would be mocking me relentlessly [for my cluelessness...] and I thought that it would be interesting to see a character who actually did that before they left the room." House was created under the working title
Working title

A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually a film, novel, video game, or music album....
 
Chasing Zebras, Circling the Drain. Shore originally intended for the show to be a CSI
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American Police procedural television series. CSI premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The ninth season began airing on October 9, 2008 and currently airs in the United States of America on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m....
-type show where the "germs were the suspects", but has since shifted much of the focus to the characters rather than concentrating solely on the environment. A central part of the show's premise was that the main character would be disabled in some way. Initially, House was to be confined to a wheelchair, but FOX turned down this interpretation (for which the crew was later grateful.) The wheelchair became a scar on House's face, which later turned into a bad leg necessitating the use of a cane. Shore's ideas for House are inspired by the writings of Berton Roueché
Berton Roueché

Berton Rouech? was a Medical writing who wrote for The New Yorker magazine for almost fifty years. He also wrote twenty books including Eleven Blue Men , Feral , and The Medical Detectives ....
, a
The New Yorker
The New Yorker

The New Yorker is an United States magazine that publishes reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Starting as a weekly in the mid-1920s, the magazine is now published 47 times per year, with five of these issues covering two-week spans....
staff writer who chronicled intriguing medical cases, between 1940 and 1990.

Parallels to Sherlock Holmes
Similarities between House and the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scotland-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....
 appear throughout the series; Shore explained that he was always a Sherlock Holmes fan, and found the character's traits of indifference to his clients unique. The resemblance is evident in various elements of the series' plot, such as House's reliance on psychology
Psychology

Psychology is an academic and applied science discipline involving the science study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally it also relies on symbolic hermeneutics and critical theory, although these traditions are less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology....
 to solve a case, his reluctance to accept cases he does not find interesting and House's home address (apartment 221B, the same number as Holmes's home
221B Baker Street

221B Baker Street is the fictional London residence of the detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The address could indicate an upstairs apartment of a residential house on what was originally a Georgian terrace....
). Other similarities between House and Holmes include the playing of an instrument (Holmes plays the violin, House the piano and guitar), drug addiction (House to Vicodin
Vicodin

Vicodin is a trademarked brand narcotic of analgesic containing hydrocodone and paracetamol . It is usually found in tablet form with either the names Vicodin, Vicodin ES, or Vicodin HP imprinted on one side....
 and Holmes to cocaine
Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scotland-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....
) and House's relationship with Dr. James Wilson, who parallels Dr. John Watson. Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard

Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor known for his role as James Wilson on the TV series House ....
, who portrays Wilson, has said that House and his character were originally intended to play the roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the series although he believes that House's team has assumed the Watson role. Also, House's name is an homage in itself to Sherlock Holmes: Holmes (Homes) = House.

Various characters on the show have names similar to characters from the Sherlock Holmes universe, in the season two finale "No Reason", House is shot by a crazed gunman credited as "Moriarty
Professor Moriarty

File:Pd moriarty by Signey Paget.gifProfessor James Moriarty is a fictional character, the archenemy of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....
", which is the same name as Holmes's nemesis. Also, the main patient in the pilot episode
Pilot (House)

"Pilot" is the first episode of the television series House . The episode premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company network on November 16, 2004....
 is named Rebecca Adler, after Irene Adler
Irene Adler

Irene Adler is a fictional character featured in the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, published in July 1891....
, a female character from the first Sherlock Holmes short story. David Shore has said that Dr. House's name is meant as "a subtle homage" to Sherlock Holmes (i.e., homes). In the season four episode "It's a Wonderful Lie
It's a Wonderful Lie (House)

"It's A Wonderful Lie" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of House and the eightieth episode overall. It aired on January 29, 2008....
", House receives a "second edition Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, Deputy Lieutenant was a Scotland author most noted for his stories about the Detective fiction Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger....
" as a Christmas gift. In the Season 5 episode "Joy to the World
Joy to the World (House)

This article is about an episode of the medical drama House. For other uses, see Joy to the World ."Joy to the World" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of House and the ninety-seventh episode overall....
", House receives a book by Joseph Bell
Joseph Bell

Joseph Bell, Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons was a Scotland lecturer at the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in the 19th century....
 (who served as inspiration for Sherlock Holmes), as a Christmas present from Wilson, along with a message that says "Greg, It made me think of you", Wilson also mentions a certain Irene Adler as the alleged sender of the present before he took credit for it.

Crew

House is a co-production of Heel and Toe Films
Heel and Toe Films

Heel and Toe Films is a TV and Film production company run by Paul Attanasio and Katie Jacobs located at the address of 2058 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA ZIP_Code....
, Shore Z Productions
David Shore

David Shore is a Canada-born writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law and NYPD Blue....
, and Bad Hat Harry Productions
Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer is an United States film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially popular among fans of the sci-fi and comic book genres, for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns....
 in association with the NBC Universal Television Group for FOX. David Shore
David Shore

David Shore is a Canada-born writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law and NYPD Blue....
, the head of Shore Z Productions, Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer is an United States film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially popular among fans of the sci-fi and comic book genres, for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns....
, the head of Bad Hat Harry Productions and Paul Attanasio
Paul Attanasio

Paul Attanasio is an United States screenwriter and Television producer of film and television, who is currently an executive producer on the television series House ....
 and Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs

Katie Jacobs is an American television producer and television director. Together with her husband, Paul Attanasio the couple run Heel and Toe Films production company which produces the current Fox Broadcasting Company series, House and formerly Century City ....
, the heads of Heel and Toe Films, serve executive producer
Executive producer

The title of executive producer , or executive in charge of production, typically describes a film producer, television producer, radio producer, record producer, or similar Stakeholder who doesn't participate in the technical operations of the production process, but who is still responsible for the success of a project....
s for the show, since its first season, as well as Thomas L. Moran, who joined after the initial airing of the pilot episode. Russel Friend and Garret Lerner are executive producers from the second season onwards. As of the start of
Houses fifth season, lead actor Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie

James Hugh Calum Laurie, Order of the British Empire is an English actor, comedian, writer and musician. He first reached fame as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner, Stephen Fry, and then as a cast member of Blackadder....
 also started working as an executive producer for the series.
House was inspired by a monthly column called Diagnosis, written by Lisa Sanders, M.D., published in The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine

The New York Times Magazine is a supplement to the Sunday The New York Times newspaper. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically included in the newspaper, and attracts many notable contributors....
. Sanders, an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine
Yale School of Medicine

The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private school medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, Connecticut, United States It was founded in 1810 as The Medical Institution of Yale College, and formally opened its doors in 1813....
, was hired as a technical advisor to the show, along with two other technical advisors. Bobbin Bergstrom, who is a registered nurse
Registered nurse

A registered nurse , is a health profession responsible for implementing the practice of nursing through the use of the nursing process in concert with other health care professionals....
 in real life, works as a medical advisor for the show and has a small recurring role on the series as a nurse.

Casting


Producer Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer is an United States film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially popular among fans of the sci-fi and comic book genres, for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns....
 originally demanded that an American actor play the role of House; according to Singer, the more foreign actors he watched audition for the part, the more sure he was that an American was needed. At the time of the casting session, actor Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie

James Hugh Calum Laurie, Order of the British Empire is an English actor, comedian, writer and musician. He first reached fame as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner, Stephen Fry, and then as a cast member of Blackadder....
 was filming the movie
Flight of the Phoenix
Flight of the Phoenix (2004 film)

Flight of the Phoenix is a 2004 in film remake of a The Flight of the Phoenix , both based on the The Flight of the Phoenix. The film opened in the US on December 17....
. He put together an audition tape of his own in a Namibian hotel bathroom, the only place with enough light, and apologized for its appearance (which Singer compared to a "bin Laden
Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden is a member of the prominent Saudi Arabia bin Laden family and the founder of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, best known for the September 11 attacks on the United States....
 video"). Laurie improvised by using an umbrella
Umbrella

An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against precipitation or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun, and umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain....
 for a cane. Singer was impressed by Laurie's performance and commented on how well the "American actor" was able to grasp the character, not realizing Laurie is British. After being cast for the part, Laurie, whose father Ran Laurie
Ran Laurie

Dr. William George Ranald Mundell Laurie, known as Ran Laurie was a United Kingdom physician, Sport rowing champion and Olympic Games gold medallist....
 was a doctor himself, said he felt guilty for "being paid more to become a fake version of my own father". Laurie later stated that his original impression was that the show was about Dr. James Wilson
James Wilson (House)

Dr. Wilson redirects here. For the president, see Woodrow WilsonJames Evan Wilson, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House ....
. The script referred to Wilson as a doctor with "boyish" looks, and Laurie assumed that Wilson was the central character and that House was the "sidekick" (the show was not yet titled
House at that point). It was not until he received the full teleplay of the pilot
Pilot (House)

"Pilot" is the first episode of the television series House . The episode premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company network on November 16, 2004....
 that he realized that House was the protagonist.

Aside from having received the script for
House, actor Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard

Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor known for his role as James Wilson on the TV series House ....
 (Dr. James Wilson), had also received the script for the CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
 show
Numb3rs
NUMB3RS

NUMB3RS is an American television show produced by brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. It follows Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematics genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes for the FBI....
. He thought the script was "kind of cool" and planned to audition for the show. However, he changed his mind because the character he would portray, Charlie Eppes
Charlie Eppes

Charles Edward "Charlie" Eppes is a fictional character and protagonist in the CBS crime drama Numb3rs.Dr. Charles Edward Eppes is portrayed as a young mathematics genius and professor of applied mathematics at the fictional California Institute of Science, CalSci ....
, was in too many scenes, as Leonard commented "The less I work, the happier I am". He didn't believe he auditioned well, but that his longtime friendship with Singer helped him get the part. Leonard already knew a lot about doctors, because his father, just like Laurie's father, was a doctor himself. Australian actor Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer

Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australia actor, most known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the critically acclaimed medical drama House ....
's agent suggested that Spencer audition for the role of Chase, but he was hesitant, fearing the show might be similar to
General Hospital
General Hospital

General Hospital is an United States soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company television network during the day and on SOAPnet each weeknight....
. Once the actor saw the scripts, he changed his mind; Spencer then persuaded the producers to change his character into an Australian. Omar Epps
Omar Epps

Omar Hashim Epps is an American actor and musician. He is famous for his movies Higher Learning, Love and Basketball, In Too Deep , and The Wood, and as his small role in Scream 2....
, who plays Dr. Eric Foreman
Eric Foreman

Eric Foreman, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Omar Epps....
 on the show, says that he was inspired by his earlier portrayal of a troubled intern on the NBC medical drama
Medical drama

A medical drama is a television drama in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. While not as popular as :category:legal television series/List of police television dramas, it is still easily identifiable occupational based drama....
 
ER
ER (TV series)

ER is an Emmy Award-winning Television in the United States medical drama television series created by the late novelist Michael Crichton and airing on NBC....
.

In the season three finale, "Human Error
Human Error (House)

"Human Error" is the twenty-fourth episode and season finale of the third season of House and the seventieth episode overall....
", House fires Chase, while Foreman and Cameron
Allison Cameron (House)

Allison Cameron, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House , portrayed by American actress Jennifer Morrison....
 (Jennifer Morrison
Jennifer Morrison

Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress, model and film producer, best known for her role as Allison Cameron on the medical drama House ....
) both quit their jobs. Following these events, House is required to hire a new diagnostic team out of 40 applicants. As House randomly fires some of them, he narrows the group down to seven applicants; Travis Brennan (Andy Comeau
Andy Comeau

Andy Comeau is an actor. He is best-known for playing Theodore "Teddy" Huffstodt, the mentally unbalanced brother of lead character Dr. Craig Huffstodt on the Showtime series Huff ....
), an epidemiologist
Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine....
, Jeffrey Cole (Edi Gathegi
Edi Gathegi

Edi Mue Gathegi is an American film, stage and television actor. He is best known for his appearances as recurring character Dr. Jeffrey Cole in the television series House , as Cheese in the 2007 film Gone Baby Gone and as Laurent in the 2008 film Twilight ....
), a geneticist
Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and Genetic variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding....
, a former Medical School
Medical school

A medical school is a tertiary educational institution?or part of such an institution?that teaches medicine.In addition to a medical degree program, some medical schools offer programs leading to a Master's Degree, Doctor of Philosophy , or other post-secondary education....
 Admissions Officer named Henry Dobson (Carmen Argenziano
Carmen Argenziano

Carmen Antimo Argenziano is an United States character actor who has appeared in over 50 movies and around 100 television movies or episodes....
), Lawrence Kutner
Lawrence Kutner (House)

Dr. Lawrence Kutner is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Kal Penn. He became a member of Gregory House's new diagnostic team in "Games ", the ninth episode of the fourth season....
 (Kal Penn
Kal Penn

Kalpen Suresh Modi , known by his stage name Kal Penn, is an United States actor and film producer.He has had starring roles in the films National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, The Namesake , Epic Movie, and Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay....
), a sports medicine
Sports medicine

Sports medicine specializes in preventing, diagnosing and treating injuries related to participating in sports and/or exercise, specifically the rotation or deformation of joints or muscles caused by engaging in such physical activities....
 specialist, Chris Taub
Chris Taub

Dr. Chris Taub is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Peter Jacobson. He becomes a member of Gregory House's new diagnostic team in the Season 4 episode titled "Games "....
 (Peter Jacobson
Peter Jacobson

Peter D. Jacobson is an United States film and television actor.Jacobson was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Chicago news anchor Walter Jacobson....
), a former plastic surgeon
Plastic surgery

Plastic surgery is a medical :Category:Surgical specialties concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. While famous for aesthetic surgery, plastic surgery also includes a variety of fields such as craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, burn surgery, microsurgery, and reconstructive surgery....
, Remy "Thirteen
Thirteen (House)

Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . She is portrayed by Olivia Wilde....
" Hadley (Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde is an United States actor. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including her roles on the series The O.C., The Black Donnellys, and House ....
), an Internal medicine
Internal medicine

Internal Medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, management and nonsurgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases. In North America, specialists in internal medicine are commonly called, "Internists." Elsewhere, especially in Commonwealth of Nations nations, such specialists are often called Physicians....
 specialist and Amber Volakis (Anne Dudek
Anne Dudek

Anne Louise Dudek is an American actress, best known for her role on the television show House ....
), an interventional radiologist
Radiology

Radiology is the branch or speciality of medicine that deals with the study and application of imaging technology like x-ray and radiation to diagnosing and treating disease....
. Producers were originally planning to hire two new players full-time (with Foreman, who returned in "Mirror Mirror
Mirror Mirror (House)

"Mirror Mirror" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of House and the seventy-fifth episode overall. It aired on October 30, 2007....
", adding the team back up to three members), but instead decided to hire three. The writers of the show fired a character in each episode, resulting in neither the producers nor the cast knowing who was going to be hired until the very last minute. As revealed in the episode "Games
Games (House)

"Games" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of House and the seventy-ninth episode overall. It aired on November 27, 2007....
", House's new team consists of Dr. Kutner, Dr. Taub and Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley. None of the actors that were not hired have returned on the show since their departure. However, since the crew was so fond of Dudek, they hired her to recur until the season finale by writing Amber into the series as Wilson's girlfriend.

Opening sequence

The show's title is shown with Dr. House watching through an MRI (a scene from the first episode of season 1). The opening sequence has a different background for each cast member's name. For instance, Omar Epps
Omar Epps

Omar Hashim Epps is an American actor and musician. He is famous for his movies Higher Learning, Love and Basketball, In Too Deep , and The Wood, and as his small role in Scream 2....
's name appears with a rib cage on the background, and Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer

Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australia actor, most known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the critically acclaimed medical drama House ....
's name is shown with a drawing of a spine in the background. Executive producer Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs

Katie Jacobs is an American television producer and television director. Together with her husband, Paul Attanasio the couple run Heel and Toe Films production company which produces the current Fox Broadcasting Company series, House and formerly Century City ....
 explained that the backgrounds don't have any "specific" meaning; however, the last shot, that says "Created by David Shore
David Shore

David Shore is a Canada-born writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law and NYPD Blue....
" on the neck of a body, explains that Shore is "the brain of the show". Originally, the producers of the show wanted to use shots of a cane and of a Vicodin bottle, but FOX did not agree with those, this resulting that, as a replacement, Jennifer Morrison
Jennifer Morrison

Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress, model and film producer, best known for her role as Allison Cameron on the medical drama House ....
's name has a shot of rowers on a lake in the background.

In North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 (and some countries elsewhere) the opening theme of the series is "Teardrop
Teardrop (song)

"Teardrop" is a song by Massive Attack which was first released on their 1998 album Mezzanine . It was released as a single on 21 April 1998....
" by Massive Attack
Massive Attack

Massive Attack are a United Kingdom trip hop group, founded in 1988 by Robert Del Naja, Daddy G, and Andrew Vowles in Bristol, England. The trio were together prior to the formation of this band, as part of The Wild Bunch ....
. "Teardrop" has lyrics, sung by guest vocalist Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Fraser

Elizabeth Fraser is a Scottish singer, best known for her vocal work as the Cocteau Twins' lead singer. Her melismatic vocal stylings and abstract, indecipherable lyrics have generated much debate over the years, but she has often been discreet on the matter when asked about it....
 of Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins was a Scottish band active from 1979 to 1997....
; however, the version used in the opening credits uses only the beginning and ending sections, which are solely instrumental. The satirical British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 television show
Dead Ringers
Dead Ringers (comedy)

Dead Ringers is a United Kingdom radio and television comedy impressionist show on BBC Radio 4 and later BBC Two. The programme was devised by Bill Dare and developed with Jon Holmes, Andy Hurst and Simon Blackwell....
, which sometimes spoofs House, uses "Teardrop" for the spoof's opening theme. In the fourth-season finale, an acoustic version of "Teardrop" performed by José González
José González

Jos? Gonz?lez is a Sweden indie folk singer-songwriter of Argentine descent....
 (with lyrics) is heard during the episode as part of the background music. The version was later made available as a free download via the music-sharing website Last.fm
Last.fm

Last.fm is a United Kingdom-based Internet radio and music community website, founded in 2002. It claims over 21 million active users based in more than 200 countries....
.

Filming style and locations

House episodes often use the "walk and talk
Walk and talk

Walk and Talk - sometimes referred to as pedeconferencing - is a distinctive storytelling-technique used in film and television in which a number of characters have a conversation en route....
" filming technique
Cinematic techniques

Cinematic techniques are methods employed by Film director to communicate meaning, entertain, and to produce a particular emotional or Psychology response in an audience....
 (also called "pedeconferencing") made popular by Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin

Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an United States screenwriter, television producer and playwright. After graduating from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre in 1983, Sorkin spent much of the 1980s in New York as a struggling, largely unemployed actor....
 and Thomas Schlamme
Thomas Schlamme

Thomas Schlamme is an American television director.Schlamme moved from his native Houston to New York in 1973. After serving in several low level positions for production companies, he founded his own company, Schlamme Productions, in 1980....
 in television series such as
Sports Night
Sports Night

Sports Night is an United States television series about a fictional sports news show and the people who work there. It focuses on the friendships, pitfalls, and ethical issues they face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure....
and The West Wing. The technique consists of tracking
Tracking shot

In motion picture terminology, a tracking shot is a segment in which the camera is mounted on a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails while the picture is being taken....
 two or more characters backwards as they walk from one location to another, usually discussing the topic of the meeting they are heading to, or in this show's case, the patient's condition, test results, and diagnosis. Executive producer Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs

Katie Jacobs is an American television producer and television director. Together with her husband, Paul Attanasio the couple run Heel and Toe Films production company which produces the current Fox Broadcasting Company series, House and formerly Century City ....
 said that the crew of
House frequently uses the "walk and talk" technique because, as she explained "when you put a scene on the move, it’s a different way of creating an urgency and an intensity". In the Season 4 episode Ugly
Ugly (House)

"Ugly" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of House and the seventy-seventh episode overall. It aired on November 13, 2007. The episode revolves around a teenager named Kenny with a major facial deformity....
, House, trying to escape a documentary crew, makes direct reference to this process as he leads his team away from the film crew to discuss the case.

Exterior shots of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital are actually of Princeton University's
Princeton University

Princeton University is a private university university located in Princeton, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League and has the largest per-student Financial endowment in the world....
 Frist Campus Center
Frist Campus Center

Frist Campus Center is a focal point of social life at Princeton University. It is a combination of the former Palmer Physics Lab, and a modern addition completed in 2001....
 (which is the University's student center
Student activity center

A student activity center or SAC, is a type of building found on university campuses. In the United States, such a building is more often called a student union, student commons, or student center....
) and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private university, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park, Los Angeles, California neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, California, United States....
, although episode filming does not take place there. Instead, it takes place on the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
 lot in Century City
Century City, Los Angeles, California

Century City is a 176 acre commercial and residential district on the West Los Angeles of the Los Angeles, CA. It is bounded by Westwood, Los Angeles, California on the west, Rancho Park, Los Angeles, California on the southwest, Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles, California and Beverlywood, Los Angeles, California on the southeast, and the...
, with the exception of the pilot episode, which was shot in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
.

Series overview


Gregory House
Gregory House

Gregory House, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character and protagonist of the United States medical drama House . Portrayed by Hugh Laurie, the character is a wiktionary:maverick medical genius who heads a team of diagnosis at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital....
, M.D.
Doctor of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine is a Doctorate for physicians . The degree is granted from medical schools.It is a first professional degree in some countries, including the United States and Canada, although training is entered after obtaining at least 90 hours of university level work ....
, is a misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians
Medical diagnosis

In medicine, diagnosis is the process of identifying a medical condition or disease by its sign , symptoms, and from the results of various diagnostic procedures....
 at the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital
Teaching hospital

A teaching hospital is a hospital that in addition to delivering medical care to patients also provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals....
 in New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
. Most episodes start with a cold open
Cold open

A cold open in a television program or Film is the technique of in medias res at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown....
, or
in medias res
In medias res

In medias res, also medias in res , is a literary and artistic technique where the narrative starts in the middle of the story instead of from its beginning ....
, somewhere outside the hospital, showing the events leading up to the onset of symptoms for that episode's main patient. The episode follows the team in their attempts to diagnose and treat the patient's illness. Most of the time they do not succeed until the patient is critical. House's world-renowned department typically only sees patients who have failed to receive a correct diagnosis, making the patients' cases complex. Furthermore, House rejects cases that he does not find interesting.

The team arrives at diagnoses using differential diagnosis
Differential diagnosis

A differential diagnosis is a systematic method used to identify unknowns. This method, essentially a process of elimination, is used by taxonomy to identify living organisms, and by physicians and other qualified healthcare professionals to diagnosis the specific disease in a patient....
, with House guiding the deliberations, using a whiteboard
Whiteboard

A whiteboard is a name for any glossy surface, most commonly colored white, where non-permanent markings can be made. Whiteboards operate analogously to chalkboards in that they allow markings to temporarily adhere to the surface of the board....
, on which he writes and strikes off possible symptoms and diseases with a marker. House often discounts and challenges the opinions of his team, pointing out that their contributions have missed various relevant factors. The patient is usually misdiagnosed
Medical error

medicine error is an inaccurate or incomplete Diagnosis and/or treatment of a disease; injury; syndrome; behavior; infection or other ailment....
 over the course of the episode and treated with medications appropriate to the misdiagnosis. This usually causes further complications
Complication (medicine)

Complication, in medicine, is an unfavorable evolution of a disease, a health condition or a medical treatment. The disease can become worse in its severity or show a higher number of signs, symptoms or new pathology changes, become widespread throughout the body or affect other organ systems....
 in the patient, but in turn helps lead House and his team to the correct diagnosis, since the complications can often be seen as new symptoms.

Often the ailment cannot be easily deduced because the patient has lied about symptoms, circumstances, and/or his or her personal history. House frequently mutters, "Everybody lies", or proclaims during the team's deliberations: "The patient is lying", or "The symptoms never lie". Even when not stated explicitly, this assumption guides House's decisions and diagnoses.

Because House's theories about a patient's illness tend to be based on an epiphany or controversial insights, he often has trouble obtaining permission from his boss, hospital administrator Dr. Lisa Cuddy
Lisa Cuddy

Lisa Cuddy, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy is the Dean of Medicine and hospital director of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey....
, to perform medical procedures he thinks are necessary, especially when the procedures involve a high degree of risk or are ethically
Medical ethics

Medical ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology....
 dubious. Often, he has to argue his controversial ideas to his team, specifically Dr. Allison Cameron, whose views on medical ethics
Medical ethics

Medical ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology....
 are far more established than those of the other team members.

Cuddy also requires House to spend time treating patients in the hospital's walk-in clinic
Convenient care clinic

Convenient care clinics are health care clinics located in retail stores, supermarkets and pharmacy that treat routine family illnesses and provide preventative health care services....
 in the hope that the interactions will improve his bedside manner. House's grudging fulfillment of this duty or creative methods of avoiding it is a recurring subplot on the show. During clinic duty, House confounds patients with unwelcome insights into their personal lives, eccentric prescriptions, and unorthodox treatments but impresses them with rapid and accurate diagnoses after seemingly not paying attention. Realizations made during some of the simple problems House faces in the clinic often help him solve the main case.

Episodes frequently feature the practice of entering a patient's house with or without the owner's permission in order to search for clues that might suggest a certain pathology
Pathology

Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of Organ , tissue , bodily fluids and whole bodies . The term also encompasses the related science study of disease processes, called General pathology....
. Another large portion of the plot centers on House's abuse of Vicodin
Vicodin

Vicodin is a trademarked brand narcotic of analgesic containing hydrocodone and paracetamol . It is usually found in tablet form with either the names Vicodin, Vicodin ES, or Vicodin HP imprinted on one side....
 to manage pain stemming from an infarction
Infarction

In medicine, an infarction results in the death of a macroscopic area of tissue in an organ due to loss of adequate blood supply. This dead tissue is then known as necrosis....
 in his quadriceps muscle some years earlier, an injury that forces him to walk with a cane. In the episode "Detox
Detox (House)

"Detox" is the eleventh episode of the first season of House , which premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company network on February 15, 2005....
", House admits he is addicted to Vicodin, but says he does not have a problem because, "[The pills] let me do my job, and they take away my pain." His addiction has led two of his colleagues, doctors James Wilson
James Wilson (House)

Dr. Wilson redirects here. For the president, see Woodrow WilsonJames Evan Wilson, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House ....
 and Lisa Cuddy, to encourage him to go to drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation

Drug rehabilitation is an umbrella term for the processes of medical and/or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on Psychoactive drug such as alcoholic beverage, Medical prescription, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines....
 several times, but no attempts have successfully gotten House off the drug. Sometimes when House does not have access to Vicodin, or when he perceives the Vicodin alone is not enough to relieve his pain, he self-medicates
Self-medication

Self-medication is the use of drugs, including alcohol, or self-soothing forms of behavior, to treat a perceived or real malady. Self-medication is often referred to in the context of a person self-medicating, in order to alleviate their own distress or pain....
 with other narcotic
Narcotic

The term narcotic is believed to have been coined by the Greek physician Galen to refer to agents that benumb or deaden, causing loss of feeling or paralysis....
 pain relievers such as oxycodone
Oxycodone

Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from opium-derived thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids with several benefits over the older traditional opiates and opioids; morphine, diacetylmorphine and codeine....
 and morphine
Morphine

Morphine is a highly potent opiate analgesic Medication, is the principal active agent in opium, and is considered to be the prototypical opioid....
, and once, methadone
Methadone

Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic, antitussive and a maintenance drug addiction#Anti-addictive drugs for use in patients on opioids....
.

Characters

For casting information, see above
During the first three seasons, House's Department of Diagnostic Medicine consists of three other doctors: Eric Foreman
Eric Foreman

Eric Foreman, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Omar Epps....
, Allison Cameron
Allison Cameron (House)

Allison Cameron, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House , portrayed by American actress Jennifer Morrison....
, and Robert Chase
Robert Chase

Dr. Robert Chase is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Jesse Spencer. His character was a part of the team of diagnosticians who worked under Gregory House until the end of third season when House fires him....
. At the end of the third season, Foreman announces his resignation, telling House, "I don't want to turn into you." Soon after, in the season three finale
Human Error (House)

"Human Error" is the twenty-fourth episode and season finale of the third season of House and the seventieth episode overall....
, House fires Chase saying that he has either learned everything he can, or he has not learned anything at all. Cameron subsequently resigns, having developed a soft spot for Chase. This leaves House without a team for the season four premiere
Alone (House)

Alone is the first episode of the fourth season of House and the seventy-first episode overall. It first aired on September 25, 2007.This is the first episode of House in which none of the members of House's original team of Allison Cameron, Robert Chase and Eric Foreman appear....
.

At the end of the fourth season premiere, House considers forty new doctors for the Department of Diagnostic Medicine, assigning them all numbers from one to forty. Early episodes of season four focus on cases that House uses to narrow the forty applicants down to three new employees. He makes a reality TV
Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors....
-style game out of it using diagnostic cases as contests. He eventually eliminates thirty-seven of them, hiring Chris Taub
Chris Taub

Dr. Chris Taub is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Peter Jacobson. He becomes a member of Gregory House's new diagnostic team in the Season 4 episode titled "Games "....
, Lawrence Kutner
Lawrence Kutner (House)

Dr. Lawrence Kutner is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Kal Penn. He became a member of Gregory House's new diagnostic team in "Games ", the ninth episode of the fourth season....
, and Remy "Thirteen
Thirteen (House)

Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . She is portrayed by Olivia Wilde....
" Hadley as his new team members. Dr. Foreman rejoins the team after getting fired from a new job at a different hospital. Cuddy rehires Foreman at the same salary after she determines he won't be able to get a job anywhere else because he has become too much like House. Chase and Cameron are still employed at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH) in different departments although Wilson and Cuddy briefly attempt to convince House otherwise.

  • Gregory House
    Gregory House

    Gregory House, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character and protagonist of the United States medical drama House . Portrayed by Hugh Laurie, the character is a wiktionary:maverick medical genius who heads a team of diagnosis at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital....
    (Hugh Laurie
    Hugh Laurie

    James Hugh Calum Laurie, Order of the British Empire is an English actor, comedian, writer and musician. He first reached fame as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner, Stephen Fry, and then as a cast member of Blackadder....
    ), the maverick and misanthrope protagonist of the show. House is the head of the Department
    Hospital

    A hospital is an institution for health care providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often but not always providing for longer-term patient stays....
     of Diagnostic Medicine
    Medical diagnosis

    In medicine, diagnosis is the process of identifying a medical condition or disease by its sign , symptoms, and from the results of various diagnostic procedures....
     at the PPTH, and is specialized in Infectious Disease
    Infectious disease

    An infectious disease is a clinically evident disease resulting from the presence of pathogenic microbial agents, including pathogenic viruses, pathogenic bacteria, Mycosis, protozoa, multicellular parasites, and aberrant proteins known as prions....
     and Nephrology
    Nephrology

    Nephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney....
    . He frequently watches medical shows and soap operas in his down time.
  • Lisa Cuddy
    Lisa Cuddy

    Lisa Cuddy, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy is the Dean of Medicine and hospital director of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey....
    (Lisa Edelstein
    Lisa Edelstein

    Lisa Edelstein is an American acting and writer. She currently stars as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the critically acclaimed drama House ....
    ), the Chief Hospital Administrator and Dean of Medicine
    Dean (education)

    In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific Academia unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both....
     at the PPTH. She is both a member of the Hospital's Board of Directors
    Board of directors

    A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed persons who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. The body sometimes has a different name, such as board of trustees, board of governors, board of managers, or executive board....
     and a member of the PPTH Organ Transplant
    Organ transplant

    Organ transplant is the moving of an organ from one body to another , for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or failing organ with a working one from the donor site....
     Committee.
  • James Wilson
    James Wilson (House)

    Dr. Wilson redirects here. For the president, see Woodrow WilsonJames Evan Wilson, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House ....
    (Robert Sean Leonard
    Robert Sean Leonard

    Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor known for his role as James Wilson on the TV series House ....
    ), the head of the Department of Oncology
    Oncology

    Oncology is the branch of medicine that studies tumors . A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. The term originates from the Greek onkos , meaning bulk, mass, or tumor and the suffix -logy, meaning "study of"....
    , and House's only friend. Wilson is also a member of the Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital Board and a member of the Organ Transplant Committee.
  • Eric Foreman
    Eric Foreman

    Eric Foreman, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Omar Epps....
    (Omar Epps
    Omar Epps

    Omar Hashim Epps is an American actor and musician. He is famous for his movies Higher Learning, Love and Basketball, In Too Deep , and The Wood, and as his small role in Scream 2....
    ), a neurologist at the Department of Diagnostic Medicine throughout seasons one to four. He resigned from the PPTH in "Human Error
    Human Error (House)

    "Human Error" is the twenty-fourth episode and season finale of the third season of House and the seventieth episode overall....
    ", and became the head of diagnostic medicine at the New York Mercy Hospital. However, he got fired, with his boss telling him that he "confused saving a patient's life with doing the right thing". He was hired back by Cuddy in "Guardian Angels
    Guardian Angels (House)

    "Guardian Angels" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of House and the seventy-fourth episode overall. It aired on October 23, 2007....
    ", and returned to his original position as physician
    Physician

    A physician, medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, or medical doctor practices medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and injury....
     at the PPTH in "Mirror Mirror
    Mirror Mirror (House)

    "Mirror Mirror" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of House and the seventy-fifth episode overall. It aired on October 30, 2007....
    ".
  • Allison Cameron
    Allison Cameron (House)

    Allison Cameron, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House , portrayed by American actress Jennifer Morrison....
    (Jennifer Morrison
    Jennifer Morrison

    Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress, model and film producer, best known for her role as Allison Cameron on the medical drama House ....
    ), an immunologist
    Immunology

    Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with, among other things, the physiology functioning of the immune system in states of both health and disease; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the physical, chemical an...
     and part of House's original diagnostic team. She was hired six months prior to the pilot episode. In "Human Error", she quits her job working for House, having developed a soft spot for Chase (who was fired in the same episode). Cameron became a Department Head of the emergency room
    Emergency department

    The emergency department , sometimes termed the emergency room , emergency ward , accident & emergency department or casualty department is a hospital or primary care department that provides initial treatment to patients with a broad spectrum of illnesses and injury, some of which may be Medical emergency and requiri...
    , from season four onwards. She is also a member in the Budget Committee.
  • Robert Chase
    Robert Chase

    Dr. Robert Chase is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Jesse Spencer. His character was a part of the team of diagnosticians who worked under Gregory House until the end of third season when House fires him....
    (Jesse Spencer
    Jesse Spencer

    Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australia actor, most known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the critically acclaimed medical drama House ....
    ), an intensive care medicine
    Intensive care medicine

    Intensive Care Medicine or critical care medicine is a branch of medicine concerned with the provision of life support or organ support systems in patients who are critically ill and who usually require intensive monitoring....
     specialist and part of House's original team along with Cameron and Foreman. He was hired a year prior to the pilot episode, and subsequently fired by House in the season three finale (see above). He went on to become a Senior Surgeon
    Surgeon

    In medicine, a surgeon is a person who performs surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such to remove a diseased organ or to repair a tear or breakage....
     at the PPTH. Chase is often mocked by House for his "pretty looks" and his Australian accent.
  • Chris Taub
    Chris Taub

    Dr. Chris Taub is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Peter Jacobson. He becomes a member of Gregory House's new diagnostic team in the Season 4 episode titled "Games "....
    (Peter Jacobson
    Peter Jacobson

    Peter D. Jacobson is an United States film and television actor.Jacobson was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Chicago news anchor Walter Jacobson....
    ), a former plastic surgeon
    Plastic surgery

    Plastic surgery is a medical :Category:Surgical specialties concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. While famous for aesthetic surgery, plastic surgery also includes a variety of fields such as craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, burn surgery, microsurgery, and reconstructive surgery....
     who is hired by House in the episode "Games
    Games (House)

    "Games" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of House and the seventy-ninth episode overall. It aired on November 27, 2007....
    " out of forty applicants. Cuddy suggested Taub become a member of House's new diagnostic team because his knowledge and combative nature would be able to keep House focused.
  • Lawrence Kutner
    Lawrence Kutner (House)

    Dr. Lawrence Kutner is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . He is portrayed by Kal Penn. He became a member of Gregory House's new diagnostic team in "Games ", the ninth episode of the fourth season....
    (Kal Penn
    Kal Penn

    Kalpen Suresh Modi , known by his stage name Kal Penn, is an United States actor and film producer.He has had starring roles in the films National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, The Namesake , Epic Movie, and Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay....
    ), a Sports Medicine
    Sports medicine

    Sports medicine specializes in preventing, diagnosing and treating injuries related to participating in sports and/or exercise, specifically the rotation or deformation of joints or muscles caused by engaging in such physical activities....
     and Rehabilitation Medicine
    Physical medicine and rehabilitation

    Physical medicine and rehabilitation , or physiatry, is a branch of medicine which aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities....
     specialist, who is hired by House in the episode "Games
    Games (House)

    "Games" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of House and the seventy-ninth episode overall. It aired on November 27, 2007....
    " out of forty applicants. He was initially fired by House after reporting Amber Volakis's (Anne Dudek
    Anne Dudek

    Anne Louise Dudek is an American actress, best known for her role on the television show House ....
    ) recording of patient information. However he flipped his #6 (the number he was assigned) into a #9 and refused to leave. He came up with an unconventional method to stress-test a liver (tequila) and an impressed House decided to let him stay.
  • Remy "Thirteen" Hadley
    Thirteen (House)

    Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, Doctor of Medicine, is a fictional character on the Fox network medical drama House . She is portrayed by Olivia Wilde....
    (Olivia Wilde
    Olivia Wilde

    Olivia Wilde is an United States actor. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including her roles on the series The O.C., The Black Donnellys, and House ....
    ), an Internist
    Internal medicine

    Internal Medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, management and nonsurgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases. In North America, specialists in internal medicine are commonly called, "Internists." Elsewhere, especially in Commonwealth of Nations nations, such specialists are often called Physicians....
    , who was hired as a member of House's diagnostic team along with Kutner and Taub. She was nicknamed "Thirteen" by House in a reference to the number she was assigned during the competition for her job. Initially being one of the final two to be fired, Cuddy convinced House to hire her to offset having an all male team, only to realize that it was House's intention all along so he could hire 3 instead of 2 people.


Reception


Critical reception

Houses pilot gained various positive reviews, TV Guide
TV Guide

TV Guide is the name of a North American weekly magazine about Broadcast programming.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews....
's Matt Roush stated House was an "uncommon cure for the common medical drama". Critics of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club

The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. It comes included with the print editions of The Onion, and maintains its own separate website....
 called
House the "nastiest" black comedy
Black comedy

file:Hopscotch to oblivion.jpgBlack comedy is a sub-genre of comedy and satire in which topics and events that are usually regarded as taboo are treated in a satirical or humorous manner while retaining its seriousness....
 from FOX since the 1996's short-lived television series
Profit
Profit (TV series)

Profit is a short-lived United States television series that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series was created by David Greenwalt and John McNamara , and starred Adrian Pasdar as the titular character, Jim Profit....
. Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle is Northern California's largest newspaper, serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California, from the Sacramento, California area and Emerald Triangle south to San Luis Obispo County....
described the show as a mixture of CSI:Crime Scene Investigation and ER
ER (TV series)

ER is an Emmy Award-winning Television in the United States medical drama television series created by the late novelist Michael Crichton and airing on NBC....
. The New York Magazine called the series "medical TV at its most satisfying and basic", and stated that the cast consisted of "[professional] actors playing doctors who come to care about their patients", while The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe is the most widely circulated daily newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts and in New England, United States. Owned by The New York Times Company, the broadsheet Globes local print rival is the Boston Herald....
s Matthew Gilbert appreciated that the episode did not sugarcoat the flaws of the characters to assuage viewers' fears about "HMO factories". In a recap of the show's pilot, Variety
Variety (magazine)

Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Hollywood, was founded by Silverman in 1933....
s Brian Lowry said that House was a "A well-made medical hour with an intriguing star". Critics considered the series to be a bright spot among FOX's otherwise reality show-based broadcast schedule.

Critics reacted positively to the character of Gregory House. Tom Shales
Tom Shales

Tom Shales is an US critic of television programming and operations. He is best-known as critic for The Washington Post; in 1988, Shales received the Pulitzer Prize....
 of
The Washington Post
The Washington Post

The Washington Post is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Washington, D.C., United States and is the city's oldest paper, founded in 1877....
called him "the most electrifying character to hit television in years". With Barbara Wellner, entertainment vice chair of the Television Academy activities committee, calling him "the most terminally malcontent television doctor since Ben Casey
Ben Casey

Ben Casey is a medical drama television series which ran on American Broadcasting Company from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its iconic opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "?, ?, Asterisk, ?, 8" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Pioneering neurosurgeo...
". Critics have compared Dr. House to Adrian Monk
Adrian Monk

Adrian Monk is the fictional character protagonist of the USA Network television series Monk . Tony Shalhoub portrays the character, who is sometimes referred to as Mr....
, Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is a fictional character Belgium detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories that were published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era....
, Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe

Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created by the United States mystery writer Rex Stout, who made his debut in 1934. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius in 33 novels and 39 short stories from the 1930s to the 1970s, with most of them set in New York City....
 and Perry Cox. In 2005,
House was selected as the number 9 primetime show among women; that same year, Laurie appeared on the cover of TV Guide as "TV's Sexiest Man". In 2008, House was voted second sexiest television doctor ever, behind Dr. Doug Ross
Doug Ross

Dr. Douglas Ross is a fictional character from the television series ER . He was portrayed by George Clooney....
 (George Clooney
George Clooney

George Timothy Clooney is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning United States of America actor, Film director, film producer and screenwriter....
), from
ER. Hugh Laurie's performance of the character was praised by critics. San Francisco Chronicles Tim Goodman said "Laurie is in short, about the only reason to watch House". Gabrielle Donnelly of The Daily Mail said that because of Laurie's complex personality he was "perfectly cast" for the part of House.

Critic top ten lists
Throughout its run,
House has been included in various top ten lists, these are listed below in order of rank.



U.S. television ratings

Each U.S. network television
Television network

A television network is a distribution wiktionary:Network for television content whereby a central operation provides television program for many television stations....
 season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.


Since its premiere
House has been a ratings hit, having an average 13.3 million viewers per episode during its first season. The show had an average 17.3 million viewers during its second season, and had a 19.4 million viewers average for its third season. The show's fourth season was ranked seventh, with an average nielsen rating of 16.2 million viewers per episode. The most-watched episode of House to date is the season four episode "Frozen
Frozen (House)

"Frozen" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of House and the eighty-first episode overall. It aired on February 3, 2008, following Super Bowl XLII; it attracted slightly more than 29 million viewers....
", the episode that followed Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII

Super Bowl XLII was an American football game which featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 NFL season....
. It attracted slightly more than 29 million viewers. It was ranked third for the week, tied with that week's seventh season
American Idol (season 7)

The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008....
 episode of
American Idol
American Idol

American Idol is an Television in the United States Singing airing on Fox network. It debuted on June 11, 2002, and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television....
(also on FOX
List of programs broadcast by Fox

The following is a list of programs currently and formerly broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company network....
) and outranked only by the Super Bowl game and the Super Bowl post-game show
Super Bowl XLII

Super Bowl XLII was an American football game which featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 NFL season....
.

Below is a table of the seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of
House on FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
.

Season Episodes Timeslot° Season premiere Season finale TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
1
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....
22 Tuesday 9:00 p.m. November 16, 2004 May 24, 2005 2004–2005#24 13.3
2
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....
24 Tuesday 9:00 p.m. September 13, 2005 May 23, 2006 2005–2006#10 17.3
3
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....
24 Tuesday 8:00 p.m. (2006)
Tuesday 9:00 p.m. (2006–2007)
September 5, 2006 May 29, 2007 2006–2007#7 19.4
4
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....
16 Tuesday 9:00 p.m. (2007–2008)
Monday 9:00 p.m. (2008)
September 25, 2007 May 19, 2008 2007–2008#7 14.7
5
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....
24 Tuesday 8:00 p.m. (2008)
Monday 8:00 p.m. (2009)
September 16, 2008 TBA 2008–2009TBA 13.8 (to date)
°Times listed are in ET

Awards

House has received many awards and nominations. The show received a 2005
List of Peabody Award winners (2000-2009)

Peabody Award winners and honorable mentions.2000s2000200120022003200420052006...
 Peabody Award
Peabody Award

The George Foster Peabody Awards, better known as simply the Peabody Awards, are annual, international awards for excellence in radio and television broadcasting....
 for what the Peabody board called an "unorthodox lead character – a misanthropic diagnostician" and for "cases fit for a medical Sherlock Holmes," both of which helped make
House "the most distinctive new doctor drama in a decade." The American Film Institute
American Film Institute

The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B....
 (AFI), included
House in their 2005
American Film Institute Awards 2005

The American Film Institute Awards 2005 honored the best 10 Movies and 10 Television Programs of the year....
 list of 10 Television Programs of the Year. The show has also been nominated for various Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award

The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in film and television program....
s, Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie

James Hugh Calum Laurie, Order of the British Empire is an English actor, comedian, writer and musician. He first reached fame as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner, Stephen Fry, and then as a cast member of Blackadder....
 has received the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in 2006
63rd Golden Globe Awards

The 63rd Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 2005 in film, were presented on January 16, 2006 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Los Angeles, California....
 and again in 2007
64th Golden Globe Awards

The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards were aired on January 15, 2007. Some key dates announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association are:* December 6, 2006 ? Final screening date for Motion Pictures...
. But it was not until 2008
65th Golden Globe Awards

The 65th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2007, were scheduled to be presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on January 13, 2008....
, when the show was first nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Drama, however, the award was won by
Mad Men
Mad Men

Mad Men is an United States television drama series created and Executive producer#Television by Matthew Weiner. It is broadcast in the United States and Canada on the cable network AMC , and is produced by Lionsgate Television....
. House received nominations in the same two categories the following year, but failed to win any.

For the first season episode "Three Stories
Three Stories

"Three Stories" is the twenty-first episode of the first season of House , which premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company network on May 17, 2005....
", creator David Shore
David Shore

David Shore is a Canada-born writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law and NYPD Blue....
 won a writing Emmy in 2005
57th Primetime Emmy Awards

The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 18, 2005, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards show was broadcast on CBS....
 and the Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize

The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious cinema or TV....
 in 2006. Writer Lawrence Kaplow
Lawrence Kaplow

Lawrence Kaplow is an United States television screenwriter and television producer most notable for his work on the Fox Broadcasting Company series House ....
 won a Writers Guild of America Award in 2006
Writers Guild of America Awards 2005

The 58th Writers Guild of America Awards, given on 4 February 2006, honored the best film writer and television writers of 2005....
 for his season two episode "Autopsy
Autopsy (House)

Autopsy is the second episode of the second season of House , which premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company network on September 20, 2005....
".
House was also honoured by the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild

The Screen Actors Guild is an American trade union representing over 120,000 film and television actor and extra worldwide. According to SAG's Mission Statement, the Guild seeks to: negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements that establish equitable levels of compensation, benefits, and working conditions for its performers; col...
, awarding Laurie the 2007 and 2008 awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
13th Screen Actors Guild Awards

The 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony, honouring the best in film and television acting achievement for the year 2006, took place on 28 January, 2007 and, for the 11th consecutive ceremony, was held at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center, in Los Angeles, California....
. In 2005
57th Primetime Emmy Awards

The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 18, 2005, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards show was broadcast on CBS....
, 2007
59th Primetime Emmy Awards

The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox Broadcasting Company at 8:00 p.m....
, and 2008
60th Primetime Emmy Awards

The 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 21, 2008, at the newly opened L.A. Live#Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California....
, Laurie was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award

The Emmy Award, also known as the 'Emmy', is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards....
 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Drama Series

This is a list of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winners.Award winners and nominations1950s...
. The Emmy board also nominated
House for Outstanding Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series

This page lists the winners and nominees for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, since its institution in 1951. The award is often cited as one of the "main awards" at the Emmys ceremonies, and has changed names many times in its history....
 in 2006, 2007 and 2008, but the show has not yet won the award.

Spin-off

Rumors of a spin-off of the series began in 2008, when
TV Guide
TV Guide

TV Guide is the name of a North American weekly magazine about Broadcast programming.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews....
s Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello

Michael Ausiello is an United States television industry journalist and sometimes actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com, where he developed a reputation for breaking television industry news stories for eight years ....
 reported that a private investigator
Private investigator

A private investigator or private detective is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigations. Private investigators often work for lawyers in civil cases....
 introduced during
Houses fifth season would be getting his own show if he was "embraced" by the audience. In May that same year, IGN
IGN

IGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games. Its corporate parent is IGN Entertainment, which owns and controls separate sites such as GameSpy, GameStats, Rotten Tomatoes and AskMen....
 reported that this character would be portrayed by Michael Weston
Michael Weston

Michael Weston is an United States television and film actor. He is known for his role as Jake in the critically acclaimed HBO drama Six Feet Under ....
, with
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter is a major trade publication of the entertainment industry in the United States. During the last century it was one of the two major publications ? the other being Variety ....
saying that the character would be named Lucas Douglas and would be "as intelligent but not as abrasive as Dr. House". The rumors were confirmed by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is a magazine published by Time Inc. in the United States which covers movies, television, music, Broadway stage productions, books, and popular culture....
and Blog Critics. In a late 2008 interview with The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger

The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark, New Jersey. It is a sister paper to the Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton, New Jersey and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications....
, creator David Shore
David Shore

David Shore is a Canada-born writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law and NYPD Blue....
 confirmed plans about the spinoff and said that it would be inspired by
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files

The Rockford Files is an American detective television drama originally aired on the NBC television network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980; it has remained in constant television syndication to the present day, making it a cult classic....
.

Merchandise


DVD releases

TitleRegion 1Region 2Region 4
  Season One
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....

August 30, 2005 February 27, 2006 November 28, 2005
  Season Two
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....

August 22, 2006 October 23, 2006 October 23, 2006
  Season Three
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....

August 21, 2007 November 19, 2007 September 17, 2007
  Season Four
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....

August 19, 2008 October 27, 2008 August 20, 2008
  Season Five
List of House episodes

House is an American medical drama produced by David Shore and Bryan Singer. The Pilot premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, a terrestrial television television network, on November 16, 2004....

TBA TBA TBA


Other

House M.D. Original Television Soundtrack
House M.D. Original Television Soundtrack

House M.D. is a soundtrack album for the television series House . It was released on September 18, 2007 by Nettwerk Records. The soundtrack includes full length versions of songs featured in the show, such as "See the World " by Gomez , "Walter Reed" by Michael Penn and "Teardrop ", the shows opening theme, performed by Massive Atta...
was released on September 18, 2007, by Nettwerk
Nettwerk

Nettwerk is a large Vancouver, British Columbia based record label and music management firm. The label was founded in 1984 in music by Terry McBride, Mark Jowett, and Brad Saltzberg in McBride's small Vancouver apartment, initially to release albums by Jowett's band Moev....
. The soundtrack includes full length versions of songs featured in the television series and previously unreleased songs especially recorded for the series. There was also a
House game for mobile phones released by Exelweiss, in Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
 and English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
. American Apparel
American Apparel

American Apparel is the largest clothing manufacturer in the United States. It is a vertical integration clothing manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer that also performs its own design, advertising, and marketing....
 100% cotton
Cotton

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
 T-shirts with the phrase "Everybody Lies" printed on them were sold in limited numbers from April 23 to April 30, 2007. The shirts were sold for $
United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
19.95 apiece on , and proceeds went to the National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Alliance on Mental Illness was founded in 1979 as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. NAMI is a nation-wide American advocacy group, representing families and people affected by mental illness as a non-profit grass roots organization and has affiliates in every American state and in thousands of local communities in the country....
.

Sources


Further reading

dd

External links

  • at FOX.com
    Fox Broadcasting Company

    The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
  • at FOX.com
  • at Yahoo! TV
    Yahoo!

    Yahoo! Inc. is an United States public company corporation with headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, , and provides Internet services worldwide....
  • (a physician
    Physician

    A physician, medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, or medical doctor practices medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and injury....
     reviews
    House on medical accuracy)
  • House Wiki at Wikia
    Wikia

    Wikia is a selective free web hosting service for wikis operated by Wikia, Inc., a for-profit Delaware corporation founded in late 2004.Wikia targets community, both those established on-line and off-line and those with a virtual community....



House